This invention relates to an adminiculum for use in administering mitomycin C and doxorubicin.
Mitomycin C, blue-violet crystals or crystalline powder of molecular formula C.sub.15 H.sub.18 N.sub.4 O.sub.5, combines with tumor cell DNA and degrades it. It also inhibits DNA synthesis, thereby suppressing division of tumor cells. (Shibata, S. et al., Biken's J. 1, 193 (1958); Szybalski, W. et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 50, 355 (1963)). Doxorubicin hydrochloride, orange-red colored crystalline powder of molecular formula C.sub.27 H.sub.29 NO.sub.11.HCl, inhibits the synthetic pathway of tumor or cell DNA and inhibits division of tumor cells; in particular, it combines with DNA to inhibit RNA polymerase. (K. Tatsumi et al., GANN 65, 237 (1974)). As is well known, mitomycin C and doxorubicin hydrochloride show strong antitumor activities; however, their clinical use has to be limited due to serious side-effects, such as leukopenia and thrombocytopenia.
An object of the present invention is to provide an adminiculum for mitomycin C and doxorubicin.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adminiculum which increases the antitumor activity of mitomycin C and doxorubicin hydrochloride while reducing the side-effects of both drugs.